Weather strip



Dec. 14, 1937. Q A, TEA l 42,102,393

lWEATHER STRIP Filed March 27, 1956 I N VEN TOR,

Clar/ l?. 71294.

lim/wg@ #M A TTORNEYS.

atentedi Dee. i4, i937 Z,i2,393 l HEBER STRIP @lark A. Tea, Detroit, Mich., assigner to Chrysler Corporation, Highland Parli, Mich., a corporation of Delaware Application March 27, i936, Serial No. 71,127

2 Claims.

This invention relates to awweatherstrip and more particularly to a weatherstrip especially adapted for use on motor vehicle bodies to seal the opening around the doors or windows.

Another object of the invention is to provide a weatherstrip which is strong, inherently resilient, and inexpensive to manufacture.

Another object of the invention is to provide a weatherstrip, the parts of which are easily assembled and retained in assembled position by stitching.

A further object of the invention is to provide a weatherstrip which is free to bend laterally in applying the same to a curved opening.

A further object of the invention is to provide a weatherstrip which has suflicient resiliency to cause it to tightly engage the door or window for sealing purposes and yet adapted to take a permanent set when bent beyond its elastic limit so that in applying the weatherstrip to an opening it may be bent beyond its elastic limit to conform to any irregularities around the opening, and after being bent to that position possesses sufficient resiliency to nex within given limits.

More specifically stated, the invention consists in applying a preformed resilient wire to the central portion of a cushioning part of the weatherstrip and extending the wire into an attaching portion so that the parts are connected 30 together in such a manner that relative bending movement is resiliently resisted.

' Other objects and advantages of the invention will more fully appear from the following description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, in which:

Fig. 1 is a perspective View, parts being broken away and in section, of one application of the device as applied to an automobile door opening.

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the weatherstrip 40 alone, parts thereof being broken away and in section.

Referring to the drawing, I have illustrated a portion of an automobile body frame at A and a door at B. The frame is provided with a tacking insert I0 to Which the weatherstnp is secured such as by tacks I2.

The weatherstrip comprises a cushioning member I4 and an attached flanged tacking strip I6, the latter being secured to the tacking insert I0. As illustrated, a panel member I8 is secured to the frame A overlapping the flanged tacking strip I6. The inner panel of the door. is shown at 2D.

The cushioning member is preferably formed from a tubular resilient member such as rubber and is split longitudinally as at 22 to permit the (Ci. 2id-69) insertion of a preformed wire 24, the latter having a portion extending into the hollow of the tube and a portion extending radially from the outer periphery of the tube to form an attaching portion. Surrounding the cushioning mem- 5 ber irl I have provided a fabric cover 26, the free edges of which are stitched as at 28 to the radially extending portion of the wire forming the attaching portion i6 and securing the parts together in a unitary structure. 10

In this form of my invention I have preformed a wire into loops by reversely bending the Wire at regular intervals so that there are diagrammatic portions lying in a substantially fiat plane. At one edgeof the wire member 2d I have alternately bent the loops in opposite directions, as indicated at 30. These portions extend substantially at right angles to the plane of the looped wire member and have a length equal t0 the radial dimension of the opening in the cushioning member M.

The ends of these portions 30 engage the inner periphery of the cushioning member i4 at opposite points, urging the cushioning member into close contact with the closure member for the opening.

It is important t0 select a wire having a deiiection characteristic which, when bent within limits, is elastic but when bent beyond its limits takes a base set and is elastic from that bent position. This is important when the weatherstrip is ap plied to an irregular surface. For example, the strip may be manually vbent beyond its elastic limit to nt an irregular surface but when so bent it is elastic from that bent position. I have found that a wire suitable for this purpose should have an elastic limit between 250,000 lbs. per square inch and 350,000 lbs. per square inch and may be formed from what is commonly termed music wire having a diameter of approximately one sixty-fourth of an inch.

Forming the wire into a zigzag shape, as disclosed in Fig. 2, it is readily possible to bend the weatherstrip ,in any direction such as is required in securing the strip to a curved surface or in going around a corner of the door opening or the like.

Although but several specific embodiments of the invention have herein been shown and described, it will be understood that various changes 50 in the size, shape and arrangement of parts may be made without departing from the spirit of my invention.

What is claimed is:

l. A weatherstrip comprising a tubular member of resilient material, a resilient wire member having portions alternately bent to form a continuous strip of loops in a substantially at plane,

l alternate loops at one side of the strip being bent in oppositev directions at right angles to the plane of the strip and enclosed within said tubular member, the opposite edge oi.' said strip projecting radially beyond the outer periphery of said tubular member, and a fabric covering secured Wire within both portions alternately contacting the opposite faces of the inner periphery of said tubular portion.

CLARK A. TEA. 

